1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates a single vend machine for dispensing newspapers, magazines, other printed matter, packaged products, or other items.
2. Description of the Related Art
Known newspaper vending machines typically include a bin for storing a stack of newspapers, and a door for closing the bin which is normally locked by a mechanical locking mechanism. The machines includes a coin acceptor which, upon acceptance of a proper inserted coin total, unlocks the locking mechanism of the door, allowing a purchaser to open the door and gain access to the newspapers within the bin. Problematically, the purchaser has access to the entire stack of newspapers within the machine upon opening the door. Although most purchasers desire only a single newspaper and therefore only remove one newspaper from the bin, it has been found that theft of newspapers from these types of newspaper vending machines is problematic. In particular, it has been suggested by some studies that theft from these types of newspaper vending machines is as high as from 25% to 27% of the total newspaper inventory which is sold using such machines. In some locations, theft from these types of newspaper vending machines is great enough that the machines cannot economically be used.
Responsive to the foregoing problem, many types of single vend machines have been developed which are operable to dispense only a single newspaper to a purchaser. However, many types of single vend machines require direct AC power connections, such that the machines cannot be used in remote locations where power is inaccessible, such as upon street corners, for example.
Additionally, many known single vend machines include complex mechanical vending mechanisms which are prone to malfunction or jamming, for example, such that the machines may fail to vend a newspaper after a proper coin total is inserted into the coin acceptor of the machine, which understandably causes frustration for purchasers. Such machines often require substantial repair and maintenance, and are therefore not effective to dispense newspapers economically.
One known single vend machine includes a housing in which a stack of newspapers are stored, the newspapers stacked upon an inclined surface. In response to insertion of a proper coin total into the coin acceptor of the machine by a purchaser, a panel disposed in front of the stack of newspapers moves downwardly a predetermined increment of travel, allowing the topmost newspaper in the stack to slide over the panel toward a discharge opening in the front of the cabinet.
Although these types of single vend machines are somewhat effective, they suffer from at least two major drawbacks. First, because the panel in front of the stack of newspapers moves downwardly only through a selected, predetermined increment of travel, the machine cannot easily be configured to dispense newspapers of varying thickness. As will be apparent to one of ordinary skill, newspapers are often printed with varying thickness throughout a given week, with Monday through Friday editions usually having a reduced thickness in comparison with Sunday editions. Further, special editions of newspapers may be produced from time to time which, due to increased news content, inserts, advertisement, etc., have a substantially increased thickness in comparison to regular editions. Depending upon the thickness of the newspapers, these types of machines may fail to dispense a newspaper upon receipt of a proper coin total, or may dispense more than one newspaper upon receipt of a proper coin total for a single newspaper.
Additionally, and again because the panel in front of the newspaper stack moves only through a predetermined increment of travel, after an uppermost newspaper in the stack has been dispensed, the next newspaper in the stack is often disposed very close to the upper edge of the panel. If the machine is thereafter shaken or tilted, this newspaper will often fall over the upper edge of the panel and into the discharge chute without a proper coin total being inserted into the machine. Thereafter, if a subsequent bona-fide purchaser inserts a proper coin total into the machine, the panel will not move downwardly to an extent necessary to dispense a further newspaper.
What is needed is a single vend newspaper vending machine which is an improvement over the foregoing.